Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, March 8

The 10th annual Western Massachusetts Sacred Harp Convention was called to order by Peter Irvine leading 138b. Jenna Strizak offered the opening prayer.

Leaders: Jennie Brown 228; Sheila Kelley 503; Joanne Fuller 129; Ed Smith 536; Laura Timmerman 340; Dennis O’Brien 480; Charles Cofone 35; JLynn Erikson 339; Sheldon Finlay 76b; Rachel Speer 112; Corrone Bryant 49b; Mary Gowins and Allison Schofield 101t; Joel Miller 37b; Rosalie Elkinston 56b; Whitney Chapman 29t; Dana Borrelli 39t; Dean Jens 67; Meredith Doster and Kelsey Wessels 384.

RECESS

Sally House called the class back together leading 34b. Leaders: Laura Borrelli 77t; Chris Holley 74b; Alexa Gilmore 426b; Holly Laws and Heather Drumm 312b; Phil Tyler 428; Philippa Stoddard 87; Thom Fahrbach 145t; Gaston White 236; Matthew Wojcik 302; Susan Loucks 168; Brian Collett 218; Nathan Zweig 38t; Bob Parr 419; Anita Shaperd 411; Kelsey Sunderland 383; Elka Schumann 163t; Bill Holt 550; Leyland delRe 157; Katherine Thompson and Sarah Whites-Koditschek 235; Andrew Lebrun 567; Anayis Wright 148.

RECESS

The class was called back to order by Aldo Ceresa leading 106. Leaders: Dan Hertzler and Matt O’Malley 82t; Oona Coy and Silas Coy 162; John Ostwald and Nellie Farrington 160t; Diane Mennella 472; Larry Gordon 522; Joanna Lampert and Lauren Bock 500; Glen Wright 497; Kim Moreno 436; Natalie Jablonski 335; Phillip Langley and Allison Schofield 542; D.J. Hatfield 430; Paul Butler 371; Kiri Miller 203; Stuart Ivey 448t; Guy Bankes 546; Katherine Collett 84; Chris Noren 189; Gillie Campbell 272; Jim Picton and Paula Picton 269; David Boyle 47b; Robert Dove 28b. Jenna Strizak and Kelsey Wessels led 192 for the Children’s Lesson. Kshama Ananthapura offered the blessing for the noon meal.

LUNCH

Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg called the class to order for the afternoon session leading 89. Leaders: Amy Finlay and Judy Johnson 300; Jessica Beer and Tamara Harris 222; Mark Miller 216; Jerry Enright and Karen Freund 370; Bradford West and Kelly House 442; Kim Bahmer 448b; Richard DeLong 395; Jonathon Smith 512; Nora Dunn and Carly Goss 215; Michael Walker and Mechthild Schmitt 53; Jordan-Leigh Taylor and Lela Crowder 274t; Rebecca Edwards, Rich Lee and Katie Mahoney 377; Michael Thompson 283; Ginnie Ely 196; David Ivey and Karen Ivey 182; Mary McDonald-Lewis 547; Kevin Griffin Moreno 466; Steve Helwig 344; Mary Whitehurst 504; Martha Henderson 456; Mike Hinton 532; George Seiler and Jean Seiler 217.

RECESS

Justin Squizzero called the class back together leading 68b. Leaders: Barbara Swetman 457; Miranda Elliott Rader 410t; Lyra O’Brien 214; Tim Eriksen 245; Matt Hinton 365; Nathan Rees 530; Dorothy Robinson 86; Bobbie Goodell 213b; Ben Bath, Sara Lynch-Thomason, and Lesley DeMartin 186; Evelyn Lamb 481; Robert Kelley 304; John Fink 183; Linda Shea 475; Steven Jens 180; Susan Mampre 280; Paul Setford 40; Joanne Bowman 330b; Peter Golden 425; Alan Lamb 59; Barb Ames 163b; John Holbrook 347.

Peter Irvine led 460 as the closing song. Kim Bahmer offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Sunday, March 9

The Sunday session was called to order by Jennie Brown leading 33b. The morning prayer was offered by Alexa Gilmore.

Leaders: Peter Irvine 75; Sheila Kelley 36b; Linda Shea 230; Amy Finlay 107; Jessie Ricker and Sawyer Stone 155; Justin Squizzero 192; Elizabeth Stoddard 171; Lisa Palumbo 457; Mark Miller 444; Bobbie Goodell 473; Michael Walker and Mechthild Schmitt 134; Kiri Miller 224; Kshama Ananthapura 411; Ron Bornick 178; Tamara Harris 556; Kelly Taylor 142.

RECESS

The class was called back to order by Kelsey Wessels leading 81t. Leaders: Laura Clawson 542; Alice Noyes 479; Liz Meitzler 114; Jim Bean 148; Kitty Kagay 381; James Baumgartner 99; Paul Gauthier 455; Jerry Enright 77t; Barbara Swetman 390; Bill Dunn 345b; Lauren Bock and Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg 470; Terry Ryan 350; Paul Butler 513; Kevin Griffin Moreno 485; Anne Kazlauskas 280; Thom Fahrbach 316; Aldo Ceresa 382; Crystal Burnham 506; Liz Cantrell and Susan Willett 421; Ginnie Ely 349; Chris Holley 503; Joanne DeVoe 31t; Anne Johnston 294.

RECESS

Lynne deBenedette called the class together leading 82t. Leaders: Sheldon Finlay 383; Charles Cofone 569b; Gillie Campbell 40; Leonard Spencer 260; Barb Ames 319; Alexa Gilmore 348b; Caitlin Thurrell 288; Mary Whitehurst and Gaston White 282; Margaret Bornick 486; Robert Stoddard 332.

Anna Maria Irvine conducted the memorial lesson, reminding us that we carry the singers who have gone before us in our voices, memories and hearts. She led 499 in memory of the following deceased: Edith Tate, Sam Jones, Amanda Denson Brady, LaRue Allen, Richard K. Mauldin, Sr., B.J. Harris—Alabama; David Utterbeck—Arizona; Janelle Jessup—California; Charlie Carr—Canada; Ilmars Knets, Edmund Wojcik, Bo Farnham—Connecticut; Reese House—Washington, D. C.; Henriette Galvagni—Florida; Gladys McGraw, Felton Denney, Reby Stanford, Homer Benefield, Loy Garrison—Georgia; Terry Guthrie—Iowa; Lisa Wilgus, David Stryker, Marion Zimmerman, Elisabeth Swain, Donald Goss, Jean Goss, Minja Lausevic, Heather Egan Haynes, Jackie Walker, Rose Champagne-Superneau, Helene Yeames—Massachusetts; Nina Hoffman, Clarence Ramsburg, Barbara Hand, Donald L. Williard Jr., Patricia Griffen—Maryland; Bob Baldwin—Maine; Jeanette Lowry—Missouri; Dora Magrath—Missouri/Massachusetts; Madeline Steel—Mississippi; Martha Dionne, Erin Way, Elsa Eriksen—New Hampshire; Dan Dorozynski, Frances Rolph Stankavich, Pat McDowell, Barry Talesnick, Becky Accuri, Nelson Adams, Alex Mennella—New York; Edward Hatfield—Oregon; William Powers, Benjamin Weiner, Helen Smulyan—Pennsylvania; Jimmy Capaldi, Mary Comendatore—Rhode Island; Charlie Vaughn, Pete Baker—Texas; Les Wight, Grace Paley—Vermont; Jeff Galper—No state listed.

Allison Schofield spoke of finding courage to survive difficult times. She led 67 for those on the sick and shut-in list as follows: Beverly Jessup, Gus Fleming, Cheryl Stroud, Wendy Karlsberg-Meltzer, Violet Thomason, Molly Cornell, Elaine Sampson, Doris Bilodeau, Alice Blanchard, Rick Johnston, Janie Krainen, Fran Lipman, Janet McGhee, David Bornick, Silvia Cornell, Ty Frankel, Ed Staeger, Malakai Preston, Stefni Agin, Nancy Davis, John Elliott, Myra Palmer, Ophelia Matthews, Elaine Urie, Cathy Tucker, Ann Doerfler, Lydia Wacker, C. William Fox Jr., and Bertie Zerwick. Richard DeLong closed the memorial lesson with a prayer.

Tim Eriksen expressed his gratitude and love for all who had helped his family and led 229. Kelly House led 30t in remembrance of Elsa Eriksen.

Leaders: Michael Thompson 32t; Dan Adams 179. George Seiler offered the blessing for the noon meal.

LUNCH

Matthew Wojcik, Rosie Wojcik, and Marian Wojcik called the class back for the afternoon session leading 144. Leaders: Evelyn Lamb 565; Rachel Speer and Dean Jens 440; Caitlin Caulfield 442; Jeff Colby 448t; Kate Richardson 429; Stuart Ivey and Jordan-Leigh Taylor 424; Robert Kelley 518; Leyland delRe 528; Phillip Langley 564; Bob Parr 212; Kim Moreno 328; Richard DeLong 380; Nathan Rees 373 (in memory of Amanda Denson); Lela Crowder 110; Matt Hinton 112; Phillip Tyler 160b; David Ivey and Karen Ivey 540; Greg Mulkern 474; Joanne Bowman 384; Rebecca Edwards 106; Peter Golden 414b.

Peter Irvine opened the business meeting, saying local singing and zero-waste information is at the wmshc.org website.

The Finance Committee reported that all expenses were met. The Secretary reported that 190 songs had been led so far and 412 singers had registered from twenty five states and four countries. The Resolutions Committee expressed thanks to all those who have contributed to making this convention possible over the past ten years, continuing to carry on the traditions of the Sacred Harp. The business meeting was concluded.

The next Western Massachusetts Sacred Harp Convention will be held on March 7 and 8, 2009.

RECESS

Nora Dunn brought the class back to order leading 72t. Leaders: Karen Freund and Jerry Enright 378b; Nicoletta Manns and Kelsey Sunderland 452; Jonathon Smith 124; Cindy Bean and Nate Bean 163b; Steve Helwig 95; Rich Lee and Katie Mahoney 406; Tom Padwa 480; Laura Borrelli and Dana Borrelli 445; Jessica Beer and Martha Henderson 549; Mike Hinton 146; Alan Lamb 63; Carly Goss 354t; Charles Taylor 408; Anita Shaperd 504; George Seiler and Jean Seiler 159; Kim Bahmer 39t; Paul Setford 105; Mary McDonald-Lewis 268; Laura Noble and Lauren Bock 454; Effie Cummings 344; Lynne deBenedette and Karen Freund 30b; Ruth Hooke 198.

Peter Irvine, Jennie Brown, and Sheila Kelley led 62 as the closing song. Tim Eriksen offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Chairman—Peter Irvine; Vice Chairperson—Jennie Brown; Secretary—Sheila Kelley